The Songbird That Skewers Its Prey On Thorns
The shrike looks like a harmless little grey songbird, but its feet are too weak to hold prey.
hippo · hippopotamus · blood sweat · hippo sweat · animal facts · natural sunscreen
Hippos sometimes look like they are covered in blood, but the red stuff is not blood and not sweat. Glands under the skin release a clear fluid that turns red and then orange-brown as two pigments form. These pigments absorb sunlight like sunscreen, and the red one stops some bacteria from growing.
Don’t try anything shown in this video.
Curious about something in “Hippos Don't Sweat Blood, It's Sunscreen”? Our AI-powered helper answers using only this page’s write-up and sources.
AI answers can be wrong; check the sources. Not medical advice.
Our illustrations simplify anatomy and scale. Educational content only; not medical advice.
The shrike looks like a harmless little grey songbird, but its feet are too weak to hold prey.
The tongue-eating louse is a tiny ocean parasite that slips into a fish through its gills and clamps onto the tongue.
Cats can't taste sweetness.